Movies

In Los Angeles, Enrique Bunbury found his latest muse

BBG News

On this refreshing spring day in Topanga Canyon, rather than grumbling about Los Angeles as one might expect, the Spanish rockstar Enrique Bunbury surprisingly finds himself extolling its virtues within the confines of his expansive home studio.

He remarks that one of the most captivating aspects of Los Angeles is its ability to house numerous cities within a single one. As he leans casually on a sofa beside a newly constructed drum set, his band is in the midst of rehearsals for an impending global tour, with a scheduled date at the Honda Center in Anaheim on July 12. His performance will feature tracks from his recently released album, “Cuentas Pendientes,” which was made available to the public on April 25.

He describes his chosen residence as a place where diverse, disparate experiences reside side by side. These experiences run concurrently, much like parallel tracks. Prior to moving to Topanga, we lived in West Hollywood for a decade. I cherished my time there because it afforded me an ideal vantage point to delve into other intriguing neighborhoods such as Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and Santa Monica.

In Spain, Bunbury would likely be surrounded by ecstatic fans clamoring to celebrate the hits he produced with his legendary rock en español band, Héroes del Silencio, or the vibrant, Fellini-García Márquez world of solo works from his groundbreaking 1999 album, “Pequeño.

Similar to many renowned artists, he holds a special affection for Los Angeles – not merely due to its status as a global hub for Latin music, but because it provides him with the tranquility of a typical lifestyle. “I’ll always be thankful for that,” he emphasizes.

Indeed, it’s accurate: When Roxy Music performed at the Kia Forum in 2022, I spotted Bunbury a few rows ahead, accompanied by his wife, renowned photographer Jose Girl, and their longtime publicist. From what I could discern, no one else in the venue appeared to have identified him.

Beyond offering a blanket of anonymity, Los Angeles has been instrumental in inspiring “Loco,” the stunning standout track from his latest album. This song is a tribute to the city’s homeless community.

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When I traveled through Latin America previously, the organizers would always lead me to a rock club following the concert. However, one time I requested to see the cantinas and ballrooms instead. No one recognized me in those places, which gave me an exclusive perspective on a more authentic side of life. I did this in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina – wherever I went, I often visited establishments where a fight could erupt at any moment, and the alcohol was strong enough for only the brave.

I inquired if Bunbury would dance at the gritty South American dance halls. Instead, he mentioned that he enjoyed watching from a seated position. Those encounters seemed to leave a deep impact on him, influencing the title of his 2011 cover album “Licenciado Cantinas” and sparking an appreciation for traditional Latin American music genres. For his upcoming tracks, he assembled a team of Latin musicians and paid tribute to styles like cumbia and ranchera in a heartfelt manner.

He explains that his aim wasn’t to surpass José Alfredo Jiménez in being a ranchero or Armando Manzanero in boleros, but rather to explore and use the instrumentation of various genres as new hues for his artistic palette. In music, he doesn’t adhere to the concept of purity. He views all genres as products of different cultures merging. The songs travel—they come and go. What attracts him is these cultural exchanges. He enjoys revisiting them repeatedly.

This new album by Bunbury ranges from the captivatingly psychedelic rhythm of “Te puedes a todo acostumbrar” to the folk music infused with organ sounds in “Las chingadas ganas de llorar.” The album shows Bunbury at his creative best. Similar to its predecessor, 2023’s “Greta Garbo,” it was produced at El Desierto Casa Estudio, a magical studio nestled within a nature park outside Mexico City.

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He mentions his search for residential studios, where the recording experience is intense and transformative. These are spaces that foster camaraderie, allowing musicians to share breakfast together in the mornings, engage in conversations about life, and exchange ideas. The studio environment serves as a catalyst, inspiring the unique collective thoughts of the group reunited to create the album.

Chilean guitarist Sebastian Aracena shares that he requested recordings from drummer and co-producer Ramon Gacias prior to their collaboration with Enrique, but Enrique preferred a workshop environment where everything would be created anew. On the initial day, they enjoyed coffee and cookies, followed by Enrique sharing rough demos of the entire album – just his voice and a few chords. It was reminiscent of a poetry book, devoid of intros, solos, or melodies. During Mexico City’s summer, it rains every day. They spent their time indoors, fine-tuning those songs together.

Born in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 1967, Bunbury nurtured a passion for literature from an early age. School held little interest for him, but his connection with his teachers specializing in literature was profoundly positive. This sparked an intense fascination with author Hermann Hesse and the mystical novel “Siddhartha,” a work he has revisited numerous times over the years.

From ages 13 to 16, he played several instruments in multiple bands, but his deep, layered baritone voice hadn’t made an appearance yet. However, that changed when the vocalist of Zumo de Vidrio (the band he collaborated with future Héroes del Silencio guitar maestro Juan Valdivia) started skipping rehearsals. When Bunbury performed David Bowie’s “Rock’n’roll Suicide,” Valdivia was so impressed that he asked him to replace De Vidrio in the band.

According to Bunbury, he was advised to start singing, which marked the birth of Héroes del Silencio. He notes that some individuals can mimic other artists, but if he could sing like Billie Holiday, he would simply order a pizza while doing so. However, he only possesses one unique voice – his own – whether it’s good or bad.

More recently, the distinctive voice that has captivated millions of Latin rock enthusiasts found itself potentially jeopardizing his career. Unbeknownst to him, Bunbury had a severe allergy to glycol, an ingredient in the stage fog often used during performances. Consequently, he was compelled to postpone his 35th anniversary tour in 2022. For a brief period, he contemplated abandoning live shows altogether.

He explained, “I choked on sand and coughed uncontrollably, yet I managed to sing an entire album at home. Initially, we assumed it was all in my head. I didn’t harbor any resentment over it. In fact, I’ve performed on some of the world’s most dismal stages, as well as a few of the finest. There are recordings of these performances to prove it. Our job doesn’t define us completely – just like our nationality, gender, or eye color don’t. It’s part of who we are, but it’s not our entire identity.

Moments before I depart, Bunbury invites me onto a sizable wooden balcony overlooking the vast expanse of Topanga Canyon’s greenery. The view is tranquil and immersed in nature, perfect for someone who composes songs and creates paintings to be kept upstairs in their studio, away from the gaze of his wife and daughter.

“Look at this,” he murmurs appreciatively. “It’s like we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

I express to Bunbury that his music sometimes scares me due to its haunting and melancholic tones. I listen carefully, mindful of the profound sorrow embedded in the tunes, unsettled by the eerie feeling of nostalgia that permeates each composition.

Is there a specific fragment of his soul where all that beautiful melodrama stems from?

He expresses his preference for drama over comedy by stating, “The world I see inspires me more toward a dramatic tone, as there’s an inherent attraction within me towards darkness.” Furthermore, he clarifies that his music has never conveyed an excessively joyful or hedonistic vibe. Instead, it seems that the personal moments of happiness he experiences don’t compel him to create music using a guitar.

He gazes at the lush landscape outside, then adds with a wry smile:

“As a listener, I’ve always gravitated more to Robert Smith than to Kylie Minogue.”

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2025-05-22 00:31

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